Obama: Undocumented immigrant children will not remain in US

President Obama outlined a tougher US strategy for dealing with an influx of undocumented immigrant children during a conversation with his Mexican counterpart, which rules out legalized status and deferred deportation.

The White House has had to deal with increasing pressure from
border states such as Texas, where lawmakers have been vocal
regarding a perceived lack of engagement by the federal
government to tackle an uptick in illegal border crossings.

On Thursday, the Texas legislature approved “surge
operation” measures to increase funding to border
operations, while Governor Rick Perry took the opportunity to
blame Washington for what he says is its inability to secure the
border.

“Texas can't afford to wait for Washington to act on this
crisis, and we will not sit idly by while the safety and security
of our citizens are threatened.”

According to the Obama administration, the swelling number of
child immigrants stems from poverty and violence in countries
including Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. A recent UN report
ranked Honduras as having the world’s highest murder rate, while
El Salvador continues to tackle drug cartel violence, and
Guatemala faces narco violence overflow from Mexico.

During their phone conversation Obama “welcomed the
opportunity to work in close cooperation with Mexico to develop
concrete proposals to address the root causes of unlawful
migration from Central America.” The White House said the US
encouraged Mexico to work in tandem to return undocumented
immigrant children back to their families in Central America.

Vice President Joseph Biden is set to visit Guatemala on Friday
to discuss the situation with Central American officials. Biden
will also look to emphasize the administration’s message that
undocumented youth will not be allowed to remain in the US, while
outlining the dangers involved with illegal border crossings.

The US is now set to spend $40 million for increased security efforts in Guatemala,
along with $25 million in funding for youth outreach centers in
El Salvador and $18.5 million towards law enforcement efforts in
Honduras.

Makeshift holding centers have been set up in Arizona to cope
with over-capacity at Texas facilities. Conditions there have
been described as Spartan at best, with Border Patrol urgently
requesting basic supplies including medicine and mattresses.

According to a memo by Border Patrol Deputy Chief Ronald
Vitiello, as many as 90,000 undocumented children may attempt to
cross into the US this year.